THE CORNERED RAT.
Derek’s POV.
The cheap plastic telephone receiver felt heavy and cold in my shaking hand as I listened to the busy signal tone coming from Emma’s private number, and I slammed it back onto the small nightstand with a loud curse because she had completely blocked my line just hours after taking Gina from the shelter, leaving me entirely stranded in this disgusting motel room on the edge of the city. The room smelled terribly of old cigarettes and cheap cleaning products, and my pockets were completely empty because Vera had drained every single dollar from our savings account before fleeing the country, forcing me to rely on the tiny amount of cash I had hidden in my jacket liner just to pay for one night of shelter away from the police cars that were currently patroll
